Suspect Sought After Shooting at Ontario Hospital

Police tape is shown in Toronto in a file photo. The Canadian Press/Graeme Roy

Police are searching for a suspect after an overnight shooting outside a hospital in London, Ontario.

Police said they responded around 2:30 a.m. on Dec. 14 to a reported shooting in the Commissioners Road East and Wellington Road area, near the hospital at the London Health Sciences Centre.

When they arrived, officers found a pickup truck that had hit a cement pillar outside the entrance to the emergency room of the hospital, according to a Dec. 14 London Police news release.

“Police located evidence that a gun had been fired multiple times,” the release said. “The vehicle, and the outside of the building, had been struck by bullets.”

One man is being treated in hospital with what police say are non-life-threatening injuries.

It is not believed to be a random incident, and police said they will be maintaining a presence at the hospital for the next few days.

“We’ve entered into an official investigation with the major crime section conducting the investigation regarding these shots fired,” Detective Inspector Sean Travis said in a video posted on the London Police’s X account.

“It’s very concerning at any time in our community when shots are fired, especially when it involves hospitals and public institutions where innocent people can be injured,” he said, adding they were following up all leads.

The London Health Services Centre acknowledged the police activity on social media.

“London Police Service has a presence at our Victoria Hospital Emergency Department this morning,” the Dec. 15 post on the X platform said. “We want to reassure our community that our Emergency Departments at Victoria Hospital, Children’s Hospital, and University Hospital remain open and safe for care.”

Police said they believe there was an early altercation between the suspect and the victim in the area of White Oak and Southdale roads.

“We’re asking anyone with dashcam footage or CCTV footage in the area of Southdale or White Oak Road or the area of Commissioners and Wellington Road to contact us with any information they may have regarding this shooting,” Detective Inspector Travis said in the video.

The suspect’s vehicle has been described as a four-door silver or grey sedan. Police said it could be a Hyundai Sonata.

Anyone with information about the incident has been asked to contact the London Police Service at 519-661-5670 or Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS (8477). Anonymous information can also be shared online at London Middlesex Crime Stoppers.